ost expensive tourist destinations north of Disney World. (Although admittedly in better taste.)Biltmore Manor started out as the home of the Vanderbilt family at the end of the 1800s. George Vanderbilt, the grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, opened the home to family and friends in 1895. He got married shortly thereafter and started a family of his own.
Like a surprising number of historic homes open to the public on this trip, Biltmore is a work in progress. The staff is still designing and reconstructing the look of several of the rooms (which are not available for touring at this time).
Three stories plus parts of the basement are open to the public, and for once we were allowed to take photos, as long as the flash was turned off. So I can show you the pictures, and let them mostly speak for themselves.This is the indoor Winter Garden area just inside the front door. The statue in the middle is "Boy Stealing Geese".
This is the library, complete with ladders, "shelving carts", and comfy chairs.
A scan of the Tapestry Room
Ceiling details were a big deal when this place was constructed, apparently. At left is a close-up of one panel of ceiling in the Breakfast Room (I think).
The Grand Staircase, made of marble, connects all levels. Fortunately, there is an elevator for the less ambulatory among us. The second floor hosts an exhibit on restoration and archaeological efforts to recreate the wallpaper, furnishings, and purposes of various room and possessions. Quite a bit of effort apparently goes into furnishing a room before it's open to the public.
One of the guest bedrooms on the second floor.
Mrs. Vanderbilt's bedroom. Husbands and wives usually maintained separate rooms during this time, since it was unacceptable for a maid to enter a man's room, and for a male servant to enter a woman's room.
And, in the interests of equal time, Mr. Vanderbilt's bedroom.
And to give people a look at the outside of the front entrance, I'll leave you with one of the rare posed parental shots on this trip. This is Mom and Dad waving to Barbara V. from church. Because she asked for it.
